Get.. Cet.. Go

HOT OPTIONS HINDUSTAN TIMES SUPPLEMENT HORIZONS

FEBRUARY 04, 2009 BOMBAY EDITION

Get.. Cet.. Go

Lakshmi Krishnan hands you the
key to cracking the cet 2009

Ten Days from today, swarms of students will throng the CET venues for a test of two-and-a-half hour duration a test as much of speed as of accuracy.  Months of preparation along various areas of quantitative, verbal and logical ability will face the final battle.

Let us look at two strategies that can be of use in effecting an approach to solving 200 questions.

STRATEGY 1

CET being a two and a half hour test, a student must have a clear plan for division of time over 200 questions.  Each question carries one mark.  No negative marking being the hall-mark of this exam, it makes sense to mark an answer choice for every successive question that a student attempts.  This would require a student to answer questions in serial order, such that every question is answered right then and there, rather than left for later.  This is a hassle-free approach to giving every single question a fair shot. 
It would mean a student attempts questions in sets of say, 40 questions at one go.  Thus a total of 200 questions divided neatly into five sets with a timed moving on from one section to another enables the student to get to the end step by step.

STRATEGY 2

This strategy is aimed at a student cracking the exam based not on his division of time alone, but on priority of area of solving.  The rationale behind this method is that every student has some area of strength an area that gives him his maximum accuracy in minimum time and it is advisable that the student starts his CET by attempting this area first. This way the student is setting aside securely his assured marks right away.  This also ensures the student is applying himself to solving the best questions first, when his concentration levels are optimum.  Solving questions which give him his highest level of accuracy on first priority basis ensures also, that the students level of motivation is high and enables him to solve the next rung of questions with full confidence. Barring may be an area like visual reasoning, which is dicey for any test taker, any area could be this first priority area for a student.  For instance someone may start off in the English section., finishing off the verbal questions and RC passage, if his accuracy and speed therein is basically good.

HO DO I DECIDE HPW MUCH TIME TO SPEND ON VARIOUS TYPES OF QUESTIONS?

It is important to be aware of distribution of time limits over types of questions.  Verbal reasoning questions are best attempted quickly and instinctively...  The odds of perfect accuracy on verbal reasoning questions (which include Assumptions, Conclusions, Inferences, Cause and Effect, Strong and Weak Arguments) are slim.  Whereas spending a minimum amount of time on verbal reasoning questions, which are easily solvable at high speed makes better sense considering the thin margin between perfect and high accurate
on this questions.  So spending a stipulated small amount of time on these questions with a resultant accurate of four on five correct, is still a better bet than stretching the time limit to make that five on five.  This is simply because there are other types of questions where investing those extra seconds per question pays off with more certainty.

Vocabulary based questions are another area that should move quickly. A typical vocab question is akin to a GK question glossing over it for a few more seconds will not move any mountain in favour of a guaranteed correct answer!  Grammar on the other hand, gives
a student a better chance at scoring considering that he has had enough practice during preparation.  So on a grammar question, or a paragraph completion question, spending a bit more time may pay off if used sensibly to weigh options or eliminate options to arrive at an answer choice.

Quantitative ability or math, as also data interpretation and data sufficiency/redundancy, are areas best solved when concentration levels are high, for they depend on calculation and application more than innate awareness or familiarity.

A predominance of varied types of reasoning-based questions in the CET clearly requires extensive practice in order to build a familiarity and ease that makes solving such questions almost a mechanical process.  The more practice a student can get on reasoning based questions, continuing right up to D-day, the better equipped a student will feel in confidently targeting a wide net of marks based on such questions.  These questions do offer a high chance at bagging a good number of assured marks easily and in a finite time frame.  Math or English questions offer accuracy based as much on aptitude as practice, but are relatively more susceptible to individual solving skills/ability.  These can form the second rung priority for a student.  Lastly, a student would do well to spend a fixed amount of time on attempting areas such as visual reasoning  or vocabulary which are relatively more open to chance but dont benefit from extending the number of minutes spent poring over them.

One cardinal rule that a student should ideally bear in mind at all times it is wise to mark an answer choice to every attempted question and not leave chunks of unmarked questions on this exam.  This also ensures avoiding a block error that one can easily fall prey to, whereby risking the earned marks too.

ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT AND LIFE CHANGING THAN ALL THE ABOVE?

COURTESY HIDUSTAN TIMES MUMBAI EDITION THANKS FOR GUIDE LINE BY

MEERA KRISHNAN